Table-switch receptacle



May 19, 1925. 1,538,157

R. B. BENJAMIN TABLE SWITCH RECEPTACLE Fiied April 21, 1924 Patented May19, 192.5.

UNITED STATES,

PATENTo REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BENJAMINELECTRIC MFG. COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TABLE-SWITCH REcErrAcLE.

Application led April 21, 1924. Serial N'o. 707,848.

v in which the switch mechanism is arranged so as to be convenient foroperation.

A'further object of vmy invention is to provide an improved vtableswitch receptacle which will be durable and etlicient in use and cheapto manufacture.

Further objects will appear from the description andclaims. i

In the drawings, in which one form of my invention is shown. f

switch receptacle;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the switch receptacle;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View, parts being removedand broken away to showthe interior construction; Y

Figi 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; an

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

The construction shown comprises in a general way an insulating pedestal10 havlng a flat portio`n for resting on the table, aninsulating cover11 having two pairs of entrance openings 12 therein, one pair at eachend, and wiring terminals 13 and 14, blade engaging contacts 15, 16 andswitch mechanism 17 housed by and between the insulating pedestal andthe insulating cover` For distributing the current, a number of Hatdistributing plates or bus bars are arranged substantially in aV planebetween the insulating pedestal 'and the insulating cover. There arefour of these distributing plates. One of these distributing plates 18extends substantially from one end to the other from the pedestal andhas mounted thereon one of the wiring terminals 13 and two receptacleportions. Another of said plates 19 hasI rmounted thereon the otherFigure 1 is a perspective view of a table A,

binding terminal 14 and two switch contacts 20, one for each of theswitch mechanisms. A third plate 21 has mounted thereon one switchcontact 22 and one receptacle contact 15. The fourth plate has mountedthereon the remaining switch contact 22 and the remaining receptaclecontact. The switch mechanism for controlling the circuit between theswitch contacts 2O and 22 comprises a metal bridge member 23oscillatable in a vertical transverse plane and an insulating push bar24 underneath and extending transversely of the insulating c oer 11 andprojecting therebeyond on botn s1 es. f

The oscillatable bridge member straddles the push bar and rides on thecam portion 25 thereof, which causes the blades 26 of the oscillatablemember to move up and down as the push har is shifted back and forth.The oscillatable member is held in engagement with the cam portion ofthe push bar by means of a bent wire spring 27 held in the guide-slots28 in the insulating cover and bearing downwardly on the oscillatablemember. j

In one Aposition the arms 26 of the oscillatable member engage the twoswitch contacts 20 and 22 and establish the circuit therebetween and inthe other position the arms are moved out of engagement with thesecontacts to cause the circuit to be broken at two points. The movementof the pushbar 24 is limited by a lug 29 formed integral with theconducting plate 19 and extending into a slot-.30 in the lower edge ofthe push bar. The construction of the other switch mechanism is similarin all respects to that just described.

The fourth conducting plate may lbe mounted on an insulating fiberpla-te 31 by means of eyelets. This insulating plate mayr be secured tothe insulating cover by means of screws 82 threaded into bushings 33imbedded in the insulating cover.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to obtain by LettersPatent of the United States is:

1. A table switch receptacleconstruction comprising an insulatingpedestal havinga fiat portion for resting on the table, a pair ofreceptacle contacts for engaging a. pair of cooperating contact blades,a pair of binding terminals, switch mechanism for controlling thecircuit between said bind- FFICE.

CII

ing terminals and receptacle contacts, and a flat insulating cover forsaid receptacle con'- tacts above said pedestaly having a pair ofentrance openings therein affording access to said contacts, said switchmechanism comprising a horizontally slidable manually operable push barunderneath and extending transversely of said cover and projectingtherebeyond on both sides.

2. A table switch receptacle construction comprising an insulatingpedestal having a flat portion for resting on the table, a pair ofreceptacle contacts for engaging a pair of cooperating contact blades, apair of binding terminals, switch mechanism for controlling the circuitbetween said binding terminals and receptacle contacts, and a fla-tinsulating cover for said receptacle contacts above said pedestal havinga pair of entrance openings therein affording access to said contacts,said switch mechanism comprising a horizontallyslidable manuallyoperable push bar underneath and extending transversely of said coverand projecting therebeyond on both sides, and a switch blade operated bysaid push bar and oscilla-table back and forth in a vertical transverseplane.

3. A duplex table switch receptacle comprising an elongated insulatingpedestal having a flat portion for `resting on the table, two pairs ofreceptacle contacts for engaging the contact blades, said pairs beinglocated adjacent opposite ends of said pedestal, respectively, a flatinsulating cover above said pedestal having two pairsof entranceopenings therein aording access to said contacts, and two switchmechanisms mounted intermediate said pairs of contact devices forcontrolling the circuit to said pairs respectively, each switchmechanism comprising a horizontally slidable manually operable push barunderneath and extending transversely to 'said cover and projectingtherebeyond on both sides.

4. A duplex table switch receptacle comprisingy an elongated insulatingpedestal having a flat portion for resting on the table, two pairs ofreceptacle contacts for engaging the contact blades, said pairs beinglocated adjacent opposite ends of said pedestal, respectively, a flatinsulating cover above said edestal having two pairs of entranceopenings therein affording access to said contacts, and two switchmechanisms mounted intermediate said pairs of contact devices forcontrolling the circuit to said pairs respectively, each switchmechanism comprisin a horizontally slidable manually operab e pu'sh barunderneath and extending transversely to said cover and projectingtherebeyond on both sides, and a pair of switch contacts, a pair ofbinding terminals, and four current carrying plates lying substantiallyin a plane intermediate said pedestal and cover, one blade extendingsubstantially from end to end of said pedestal and having mountedthereon one of said binding terminals and two receptacle contacts, onefor each pair, the second of said plates having mounted thereon ,theother inding terminal and two switch contacts, one for each switchmechanism,'the third plate having `mounted thereon one switch contactand one receptacle contact, and the fourth plate having mounted thereonthe remaining switch contact and the remaining receptacle contact.

REUBEN B. BENJAMTN.

